Spring Training Pitch Shape Changes

A look at several pitchers who made improvements to their pitch repertoire this offseason

Small samples aside, spring training is an exciting time that allows us as fans and analysts to get a look into possible improvements or new skills that players have developed or improved upon over the offseason. Pitch shapes, especially are` an intriguing subject of examination with spring training data. These metrics tend to become stable relatively quickly and are facets of a pitcher’s game that often undergo tweaking during the offseason, especially with an increase in independent research and development labs and facilities like Driveline, Tread Athletics, and more. Today, let’s compare some Triple-A data from the 2023 season with some of the new Spring Training 2024 data to find a few pitchers who made meaningful adjustments.

Before we take a look at individual pitchers, though, let’s see who has increased their fastball quality the most. This is the best use of spring training data because fastball quality stabilizes quicker than any other pitch type, and is foundational to every pitcher’s arsenal.

Jared Jones, who we’ll discuss in more detail below, tops this list. Ryan Weathers comes in second after adding some additional velocity and ride, while Yosver Zulueta improved by adding a tick and a couple inches of drop. Riley O’Brien also shows up on this list, which is notable as he popped up on social media over the offseason after training at Driveline and flashing upper-90s sinkers, which he has continued to do thus far in Spring Training. Now, let’s check out a few individual pitchers’ repertoires.

Jared Jones - PIT

Jones, a right handed starting pitching prospect for the Pirates, has looked fantastic thus far in spring. After already looking good at Triple-A last year both pitch specs wise and results wise, at a much younger age than the average in the leagues he was competing in, Jones has found a way to further improve.